Command terms
The words that start IB exam questions, what each one asks you to do, and how much to write.
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What command terms are
Every IB exam question starts with a verb such as "state", "explain" or "evaluate". These are command terms. Each one has a fixed meaning, set out in a glossary at the back of every subject guide, and examiners mark against it.
The term tells you how much to write. "State" wants a word or a number. "Explain" wants a reason. "Evaluate" wants a judgment with both sides weighed. A perfect answer to the wrong command term can score little.
The meanings below are in our own words. Where two guides use the same term, the IB's wording is the same, but each subject uses its own set: the physics guide, for example, has no "evaluate" or "to what extent". Check the glossary in your own subject's guide; your teacher will have it.
Terms that want a short answer
| Term | What it asks for | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| State | A name, value or other brief answer, with no explanation | A word, a phrase or a number. Nothing more is needed |
| Write down | The answer, usually read straight from information you have, with little or no calculation | The answer. Working isn't needed (math) |
| List | A series of brief answers, no explanation | One short item per line, as many as asked for |
| Identify | One answer chosen from several possibilities | The answer, named clearly |
| Define | The precise meaning of a word, phrase or quantity | The accepted definition, learned word for word where you can |
| Label | Names added to a diagram | Labels with clear lines to the right part |
Terms that want working
| Term | What it asks for | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Calculate | A numerical answer, showing the relevant stages of working | Each step, then the answer with units and sensible rounding |
| Find | An answer, showing the relevant stages of working | As for calculate |
| Determine | The only possible answer | Enough working to show how you got it |
| Solve | The answers, found by algebra, numbers or a graph | The method and every solution |
| Show that | The given result, reached without the formality of a proof | Every step from the start to the result, with the result written at the end. Marks are for the steps |
| Hence | The answer, using the part you've just done | Start from the previous part. Another method may score nothing |
| Hence or otherwise | The answer, ideally using the previous part, but any correct method counts | The previous part is usually the quickest way |
| Prove | The result, by a sequence of logical steps, formally | A complete argument, with each step justified |
| Verify | Evidence that a given result is correct | Substitute or check, and say that it holds |
| Estimate | An approximate value | A rough value, with how you got it |
| Sketch | A diagram or graph that gives the general shape and its key features | Axes, intercepts, turning points and asymptotes, labeled. Not to scale |
| Draw | An accurate, labeled diagram or graph, in pencil, with a ruler for straight lines | Plot points carefully and label everything |
Terms that want an account
| Term | What it asks for | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | A brief account or summary | The main points, a sentence or two each |
| Describe | A detailed account | What happens or what something is like, in order. No reasons needed |
| Explain | A detailed account including reasons or causes | What happens and why. Use "because" and "so" |
| Distinguish | The differences between two or more things | A clear difference, stated for each |
| Compare | The similarities between two or more things, referring to all of them throughout | Point by point, each point about both |
| Contrast | The differences between two or more things, referring to all of them throughout | Point by point, each point about both |
| Compare and contrast | Similarities and differences, referring to all of them throughout | Both, point by point |
| Suggest | A possible answer, a solution or a hypothesis | A reasonable idea, often about something you haven't been taught directly |
| Predict | An expected result | The result, with a reason if marks allow |
| Deduce | A conclusion reached from the information given | The conclusion, and the step that gets you there |
| Annotate | Brief notes added to a diagram or graph | Short labels that explain, not just name |
Terms that want a judgment
| Term | What it asks for | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse | The parts of something, broken down to bring out its essential elements or structure | The parts, how they connect and what matters most |
| Comment | A judgment on a statement or a result | A sentence that says what the result means, or whether it's reasonable |
| Interpret | Trends and conclusions drawn from information you're given | What the data shows, with figures from it |
| Examine | An argument or idea looked at so its assumptions and links come out | The assumptions underneath, and how the parts relate |
| Justify | Valid reasons or evidence for an answer or a conclusion | The reasons, each tied to the claim |
| Discuss | A considered, balanced review of a range of arguments, factors or hypotheses, with a supported conclusion | Several points on more than one side, then a conclusion that follows from them |
| Evaluate | An appraisal that weighs strengths and limitations | Both, then a judgment on balance |
| To what extent | The merits of an argument or idea weighed, with a clear, supported conclusion | A position, the evidence for and against it, and how far you agree |
How the term sets the marks
Questions with the same topic can be worth very different marks because of the command term. A part that says "state" for one mark wants one fact. A part that says "explain" for three marks usually wants a claim and the reasoning that links it to a result, and examiners look for each link.
Two habits help:
- Read the marks with the term. One mark is one point. Four marks for "explain" means four things a markscheme can tick.
- Answer the term, not the topic. "Describe the graph" is not "explain the graph". Writing reasons for a "describe" question costs time and earns nothing.
Practicing with them
When you check an answer against a markscheme, look at how many separate points earned marks for that command term. Over a few weeks, you'll learn how much a three-mark "explain" in your subject needs. The question bank puts the markscheme beside every question so you can make that check as you go.
Sources
- International Baccalaureate. Mathematics: analysis and approaches guide, first assessment 2021. Glossary of command terms.
- International Baccalaureate. Environmental systems and societies guide, first assessment 2026. Glossary of command terms.
- International Baccalaureate. Physics guide, first assessment 2025. Glossary of command terms.